Page 210 of Storm over the Caribbean
“I’m glad you agree, Sir.”
“Of course I do.” He gave me a supportive nod. “It’s definitely not because you’re scared of a little girl.”
“Right, I—oy! What did you just say?”
“Me?” He cocked his head as innocently as a freshly-printed bank note. “I said we should probably depart. We don't want that little girl to sneak off the ship, do we?”
“Hm…no.” I sent him a last suspicious look. “We definitely don’t want that.”
“Well, then, Mrs Ambrose…”
He extended his arm to me. Taking it, I fell in step beside him, and the two of us moved towards the prow, looking out over the ocean.
“Everything ready?” my husband demanded.
“Anchor aweigh!” a sailor shouted from the other end of the vessel.
“Everything is ready,Sahib,” Karim announced from behind us. “Should we depart?”
In answer, Mr Ambrose merely inclined his head. A moment later, Karim shouted commands to the crew. The sails unfurled, and theCroesusjolted forward, slowly gathering speed as it moved out onto the ocean.
So…it was finally time, was it?
Pirates taken care of?
Check.
Karim found?
Check.
Straw man in custody?
Check.
Now only one thing remained.
They tried to hurt my husband. To hurt my child.
Glancing up at Mr Rikkard Ambrose, I met his eyes.
“Mr Ambrose?”
“Yes, Mrs Ambrose?”
“It’s time for revenge, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
Never had that single word sounded so sweet.
Turning back to gaze out over the ocean, I smiled at the sunrise.
Soon, we’ll be back in Britain, in our home territory, untouchable and with an army of silent, plain-clothed men at our beck and call. And Patsy and Adaira. May God have mercy on our enemies, because my child’s future godmothers certainly won’t.
As I felt my husband’s arm slide around my waist, I felt certain that, from now on, everything would be all right with the world.
Although, as we sailed out onto the ocean, I couldn’t help feeling I had forgotten something…
